Transfer Rumours | Tactics | Who to buy/sell etc

when we usually sign players from the outside to Castilla, i always conclude that they are long shots. because if we go for an elite talent below 20, he will never play with Castilla.

Yeah, YT scouting is dumb as rocks but even with YT scouting, something stands out. With Vinicius, it's his agility and pace with decent dribbling. With Rodrygo, it's his ball control and pace with the ball. With Odegaard, it's his ball control and passing. With Rodrigo, nothing really hits you.

So yeah, this feels like one of those hit and hope signings. Hope it does turn out successful for him where he can make a living.

AS wrote:Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, met yesterday with Real Madrid, according to Spanish TV football programme El Chiringuito, with journalist Edu Aguirre revealing that the meeting had left the Portuguese player pensive and unhappy about the club’s stance over his future.


Aguirre said he couldn’t reveal any precise details about the meeting, but that Ronaldo was “hurt” by what had been said.

Source: AS

If both parties decide to part ways, I think it would be wise to wrap everything up ASAP and find a proper replacement quickly. Really, there's no need to keep him against his will and/or dragging the whole thing until August and then replace him at the last minute with someone who may not be up for the task.

I.e. Real don't want to give him ANOTHER raise to make him earn more than Messi. Of course not. So he's hurt, unhappy and pensive.
So let him think a bit, then, and he will realize noone will pay him what he's asking.

The club is doing to Ronaldo what they did to Pepe. Not nice. Next one to be bluntly told to leave or retire will be Modric watch

What we can't afford is to be held hostage by Ronaldo, either because he wants a ridiculous contract, compromises our team play, or grows old and useless and no one wants him. Perez needs to be smart and shrewd here, yes Ronaldo is now a club legend and icon but the world moves on and we can't afford to lag behind.

Teams will definitely pay Ronaldo what he wants, but it's only a handful of options. Probably PSG as Neymar is making more than Ron, and definitely China considering both Lavezzi and Oscar make more than him ffs.

The thing Ronaldo needs to consider is if he wants to continue being an option for Balon d'Or. If he does, he will stick to his current contract.

He'd be stupid to stick to his current contract. He wants a 5 year tail starting this summer... Real Madrid are right not to give in to his demands. PSG will take him. BUT, in order to get Ronaldo, they will need to sell either Neymar or Mbappe... or both lol.

Bayern wants 200m for Lewandowski according to bild.

So guys. is he worth it?

for me, not at that price. we could do better. isnt kane worth that much? I dont fancy kane, too slow for my liking but if we're gonna spend 200m on a slow forward, might as well be on the younger forward who isnt on a downward trend.

too bad we wont be seeing nothing till new coach.

I feel it... our new coach will be Conte.

sportsczy wrote:I feel it...  our new coach will be Conte.

i just vomitted reading that.

mind y,all, i have a strong disdain for antonio conte since he became a coach.

the guy consistently gets exposed in europe, and it only took last season that most people only seeing now what ive been seeing from this loser since day 1

i liken Conte to Roberto Mancini if Mancini was more offensive and was more of a prick. if Conte is considered the future of Italian coaches, then im afraid the italian future is dire and gloomy.


i prefer Klopp or Guti for manager choices.

Bayern is on crack putting lewa at 200m. wheres the market for one hitting 30 in august? he will decline badly in 1-2 years. and getting slower. we need fast forwards damnit.

if only we pushed for griezmann...

i have a question for turok. why guti? i hear people have thrown him into the hat and i hear he's doing well, but is there any concrete reason why he's your top choice? like have you been monitoring his progress? watching his team's games? is he still temperamental? if so, would that be an issue?

people think that because things worked out well for Zidane then Guti has the same chance of doing great. It's natural, it's like when Barca had a golden generation, fans started thinking all their new kids were gonna be world class... lol

People forget that Zidane inherited a team that was already build by Carlo, and a team which he had already been in contact with.

AFter the catastrophic liga campaign we had, there is a lot of things that need to be done on a day to day basis, and Guti should not be trusted with that. The team is old, and on a negative spiral. You need real leadership with experience to turn things around and launch a new project, not a coach that is coaching Juvenil, under 18 lol.

good points mrnick

Carlo didn't build it ffs.  His midfield had Di Maria in it when he had success, James was a regular after Di Maria left, Bale was actually healthy and productive mostly (year 1), Pepe was our regular CB, Alonso was here, etc.

IF you're talking about our core... Ramos, Ronaldo and Marcelo preceeded Carlo.  He can genuinely take credit for resurrecting Benzema, Modric and Carvajal.  Kroos joined the year we sucked under Carlo and he got fired.

Zidane actually transitioned and fixed a lot of things that nobody will give him credit for.  Casemiro happened under Zidane with Kroos moving away from being the holding mid.  The current Varane was him.  Navas settling down (mostly).  Nacho, Lucas, Morata, Isco (resurrecting him), Asensio, etc.

The four biggest factors that allowed us this run were:
-  Ronaldo allowing himself to get managed so he finished the season on a high.  Prior to ZZ, he would flop at the end of the season due to overuse.
-  Basically killing any dissent in the locker room.  Nobody dared go against him.  So the locker room has been incredibly calm.  First time ever actually since I've followed Madrid.
-  He managed Flo, the players and the media like a smooth criminal.  No crisis.  Even when there was a crisis in terms of results this year, there was no mutiny or drama.
- In big games, we were almost always money. We NEVER lost a CL tie under Zidane. We also never lost a final. His big game management was supreme.

We don't win shit with any other manager imo because Ronaldo wouldn't accept getting benched at times and we would have our usual drama.  

He was as necessary to our run as Ronaldo  and Ramos were.

titosantill wrote:i have a question for turok. why guti? i hear people have thrown him into the hat and i hear he's doing well, but is there any concrete reason why he's your top choice? like have you been monitoring his progress? watching his team's games? is he still temperamental? if so, would that be an issue?

ftr, Zidane was doing okay in academy. and doing well in youth setups means nothing as youth and professional have very different environments and pressures.

The players need someone that they respect. a team who has no respect for their coach will surely falter. Guti is a former vice captain of Real Madrid who was apart of happier and darker periods of our history. he was there when we won league titles and cl titles. he was also there during the first flo reign and the dark times of the calderon era. having such experience will prove invaluable in regards to man management.

we won't truly know Guti's tactics till its tested in top flight. nor will we know if by chance that he were appointed whether he has some semblance of control over his team or like Carlo he just deals with what he is given and adjusts tactics accordingly.

in any case, its obvious Guti is not yet ready but I'm willing to give him a chance. He is one of us at heart, and more importantly i like to see our own afforded chances to take the reigns. i dont expect him to wow us. we're going to struggle for a while as our golden age has ended.

Mr Nick09 wrote:people think that because things worked out well for Zidane then Guti has the same chance of doing great. It's natural, it's like when Barca had a golden generation, fans started thinking all their new kids were gonna be world class... lol

People forget that Zidane inherited a team that was already build by Carlo, and a team which he had already been in contact with.

AFter the catastrophic liga campaign we had, there is a lot of things that need to be done on a day to day basis, and Guti should not be trusted with that. The team is old, and on a negative spiral. You need real leadership with experience to turn things around and launch a new project, not a coach that is coaching Juvenil, under 18 lol.

Guti is a former vice captain. I have no question in his leadership abilities.

leadership and man management go hand in hand. cant lead if you dont have respect. I don't know who u follow on the side nick, but this is Real Madrid. this is a club where star players almost always had the bigger say.
I recall you liking Benitez for his tactical acumen and leadership. why don't you go ask him how well his stint with us went.

I dont blame you in thinking that players will be professional about a new coach. in normal clubs, thats how it should be. but we're not normal. we have disposed of better for far less. at first they'll respect whoever comes in. but that respect is not constant. it is ever changing like the winds  depending on results, overall communication and chemistry, that respect may be strengthened or lost in an instant.

Former players who have led a successful career as a result by default command respect based on their previos history when they transition to coach. and in the case of Guti, he has experience and has been there where our players are at. being able to relate gives you a lot of credit and that credit is key to maintaining respect from your squad. Guti unlike Sarri for example has that luxury.

y'all saw what happened to benitez. he lost the respect early, and he paid the price for having poor management skills as well as being utterly incompetent..

I rather not see a repeat of 6-7 months wasted like last time. and despite our ageing squad, this team while lacking hunger, is still a very powerful side.

and during this time of transition, not many will be able to endure the downward cycle. we need one to steady the ship for someone else or if he does a good enough job, he can continue. Guti can be that proverbial sacrificial lamb in hopes of a future season. or he could steady the ship and maybe nick us a league title if we do better than expected.

Zidane inheriting carlo squad? what the....just no...

sportsczy wrote:Carlo didn't build it ffs.  His midfield had Di Maria in it when he had success, James was a regular after Di Maria left, Bale was actually healthy and productive mostly (year 1), Pepe was our regular CB, Alonso was here, etc.

IF you're talking about our core... Ramos, Ronaldo and Marcelo preceeded Carlo.  He can genuinely take credit for resurrecting Benzema, Modric and Carvajal.  Kroos joined the year we sucked under Carlo and he got fired.

Zidane actually transitioned and fixed a lot of things that nobody will give him credit for.  Casemiro happened under Zidane with Kroos moving away from being the holding mid.  The current Varane was him.  Navas settling down (mostly).  Nacho, Lucas, Morata, Isco (resurrecting him), Asensio, etc.

The four biggest factors that allowed us this run were:
-  Ronaldo allowing himself to get managed so he finished the season on a high.  Prior to ZZ, he would flop at the end of the season due to overuse.
-  Basically killing any dissent in the locker room.  Nobody dared go against him.  So the locker room has been incredibly calm.  First time ever actually since I've followed Madrid.
-  He managed Flo, the players and the media like a smooth criminal.  No crisis.  Even when there was a crisis in terms of results this year, there was no mutiny or drama.
-  In big games, we were almost always money.   We NEVER lost a CL tie under Zidane.   We also never lost a final.  His big game management was supreme.

We don't win shit with any other manager imo because Ronaldo wouldn't accept getting benched at times and we would have our usual drama.  

He was as necessary to our run as Ronaldo  and Ramos were.

...because sports said it before me. though he did inherit some of the aspects of Carlo's style which is still expressed in the football we play to this day.

In other news, we actually signed Rodrygo from Santos. Totally wish we start to sign some adults about now.

Let me skip this wall of text about Zidane building the greatest team ever...ahem propaganda...

Is it official doc?

Not official but it definitely looks like this is gonna happen. Way too much chatter for it to be a dud. I probably should have not been so certain in my post so please let it slide.

well, Felix is saying that it's a done dealio.

Now please announce we are switching to Nike please

Mr Nick09 wrote:Let me skip this wall of text about Zidane building the greatest team ever...ahem propaganda...

Is it official doc?

if u got no argument, its easier to say nothing my man. no one will say anything. propaganda? thats not a good spin.

CR7 leaving... can we get Neymar or Salah?

nah it's easier to disappear all season from the board, then comeback when we win the CL and talk nonsense all over. this debate has been been 20 times over, if not more, so i aint interested to have it again...sigh

imma very busy guy. just not busy right now. and i came back in march. u cant keep the facts straight as usual i see. but unlike u, i never get tired. feel free to piss ur nonsense when im gone again

in fact. im probably wont be back again till... January starting this Saturday? gotta post when im able to.
Im hoping i can see who is new coach before my next gig begins.

To counter Turok's optimism of Guti, gonna go the other direction which coincidentally mirrors my actual thoughts on the matter.

It's a huge assumption this current batch of men view Guti with some sort of respect they'll have for, let's say, someone like Zidane. His "legendary" status is definitely through a fan's lenses because his actual status at the club is more of longevity and unfulfilled talent. What exactly can he tell these guys who have won way more than him and accomplished more than him at this club? They'll listen because he is the coach but I doubt they'll go the extra mile that they did with Zizou.

More importantly, he worked with the youth team, not Castilla, but the youth team. Zidane, in one capacity or the other, was always around the senior team and, once again, is a legend of the game. To put this in further perspective, Modric, the man from Dinamo Zagreb and Tottenham, has a much bigger claim to legendary status that Guti who has been here since the early 90s.

Basically, the club would be playing with legit fire hiring Guti. Sure, there is a chance it'll work out as with all things. But if we can hire an actual experienced manager (not Conte), why risk it?!

As for Zidane and the squad, he inherited a great squad, imbalanced but great nonetheless. What he created was a cohesive team that played for him.

Totally agree with Doc. Hiring Guti would be a risk just like hiring Zidane was a risk, but at least with Zidane it was much more calculated and he had a lot more going for him. We knew he had an eye for talent (helping with Varanasi signing), he coached at a higher level, and he was being groomed for the job by being made assistant manager. And as Doc said, we had a squad that was a recent CL winner, just unbalanced when ZZ took over. It didn’t take a genius to rebalance the midfield.

With Guti we have almost none of that. He doesn’t have the experience (yet), he doesn’t have the “legendary” status Zidane has, and he doesn’t have a peaking squad- he has a decaying old squad.

If we want Guti to be manager some day, we need to wait to see more of him in a managerial role, and give him time. The timing right now just isn’t right. I’m not saying it won’t work out, but it’s much less likely than when Zidane was appointed.